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(No Model.) 4 Shets-Sheet l.

G. F. SUMNER. KNITTING MACHINE PGR MAKING FABRIC FOR MATTRBSSES, 650.

No. 539,558. lPatented May 21, 1895.

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A G. F. SUMNER. KNITI'ING MACHINE FOR MAKING FABRIC POR MATTRESSES, 650. No..539,558.

Patented May 21, 1895.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-sheet 3.-

G. F. SUMNBR. l KNITTING MACHINE FR MAKING FABRIC FOR MATTRESSES, 650. N0. 539,558. Patented May 21, 1895.

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4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.) G. P.'SUMNER. KNITTING MACHINE POR MAKING FABRIC FOR MATTRESSES, &c. No. 539,558.

Patented May 21, 1895.

Wm-[JEESES 3- is a vertical cross-section of the same.

UNITE-D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE FREDERICK SUMNER, OF CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE KNITTED MATTRESS COMPANY, OF SAMEPLACE.

KNITTING-MACHINE FOR MAKING FABRIC FOR MATTRESSES, &c'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent-No. 539,558, dated May 21, 1 895.

Application filed February 24, 1891. Serial No. 382,646. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.- l Be it known that I, GEORGE FREDERICK SUMNER, of Canton, in the county of Norfolk.

bination, with the machines now in use, of

certain new devices, by the aid of which the machine produces a new and improved knit fabric, adapted for mattresses, dto. This objectI attain by lthe mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is afront elevation of my improved machine, Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. Fig. 4. shows in cross-section parts of the machine and a portion in section of the knit fabric. Fig. 5 shows a portion of the knit fabric.

In the drawings A A represent the frame to which the several operating parts of the machine are attached.

B is the main shaft which is hung in suitable housings and is driven by a pulley B2.`

For communicating motion to other parts of the machine, I have on the main shaft B a gear wheel B which, acting through the trans` mitting gear B3 gives motion to the gear B4 and thence to the shaft B5. Y

In Fig. 3, two flat vertical plates Fv F are shown. These plates together form an inclosed passage or chute, which serves to keep the fabric in place while being knitted together, the upper edge of which is jheld just above the. upper edges of the plates F F. (See Fig. 4..) f

Upon each side of the chute I have needle bars 'E6 e4, carrying respectively the sets of needles E7 and c5. These needle bars are operated by pitmen E4 and e', (see Fig. 3) connected bypivots E5 and e5. (There are two sets of the pitmen, one at each end of the loom.) The pitmen are connected to atilting lever E which swings on a pivot at e, which is operated by the grooved cam E, acting through the pinE2.

The thread guides G are mounted upon a swinging oscillating guide bar G. This guide vthe body of the fabric together.

bar G' is hung on small housings G2, which have between them rods G5. (See Fig. l.) The rods G8 pass through foot pieces G4, attached to the swinging hangers G5, made fast 4to the rocker shaft G5. A swinging motion is given to the hangers by the rocker sha'ft'GG,.

The above referred to parts relate to the parts of the machine that do the knitting, that is, inter-knit thread about the large filling layers and thus hold the parts that constitute These parts are old land need not be more fully described.

The fabric made on my machine is different from any heretofore made and therefore requires a peculiar construction and arrangement of certain parts of the machine, which parts and arrangements I will now describe.

In my improved fabric I have two filling layers L and M, Figs. 4 and 5. These filling layers are taken from conveniently located reels, not shown, and laid in the chute by carrying devices C17, C16, C18 and D17, D15, D15, Fig. 3, one of Vwhich is located at each side of the chute, as shown, and as these carrier devices, as well as the mechanism that operates them, are alike, I will describe but one.

The carrier C17, C15, C18, consists of two rings C17 and C18'attached by rods to the carrier slide C15. This slide C15 is operated in guideways C25 as Yshown in Fig. 3 by the gearv B5, Fig. 1, acting through the gears B7 and B8, shaft B11, cam C, pin C3, lever C', pivoted at C2, pivot C5, link C4, sliding rod C5 (connected to the link C4 by the pin C6) and parallel system of levers C7, C8, C9, C15, pivoted to each other as shown, said system swingingv on a pivot at C10 connected to the frame work of the machine, and acting on the carrier slide C5 through the pivot C11. l

The operation of my machine is as follows: The binding threads are placed in the usual way for starting to knit, then the knitting ICO operation is started, and when a good starting tie is formed the filling layers areplaced by the carriers in the chute and in working connection with thc binding thread. Then all of the working parts, namely, the two sets of needles, the thread guide bar and the two iilling layers, and carriers, are set in proper relation to each other and to the filling and binding,r threads, that is, they are so set that when the machine begins to move all parts will co-operate in their normal manner, when the working of the machine will be as follows: One set of needles (the rear set for instance) being down, the carrier `on that side Will lay over the loops of the thread a layer of filling. Now the guides will draw over the threads from the opposite side (the needles of which are now drawing the loops of thread down to bind that layer) and the rear needles will come up so as to receive the loops of thread from the guides as they bring it over from the front. Now the front needles being down, the front carriers will bring along a layer of filling and place it on the front. Vhen this has been done the thread guides will draw the loops from the rear over to the front and hook them on to the front needles which are now up to receive the said loops. Again the front needles descend and take the loops with them, and again all of the motions are repeated. This can go on until a sufficient body of the fabric is made. 'lhen the ends of the threads arejoined and the article is complete. It is to be understood that the thread guides do not carry the loops to the same series of needles at each passage but alternate the loops in such a manner as to form the proper knitting stitch.

From the above itmay be seen that the fabric made in my machine has a double filling;1 held by a series of knitted threads in such a manner that a strong, double, thick and yet very yieldingr fabric is produced.

I do not claim the fabric in this application as it forms the subject of a pending application of even date, Serial No. 382,645.

I claim- In a Warp machine for knitting mattress fabric, the combination of two sets of needles, means to actuate the same alternately, and a set of guides for the Warp threads with means to impart thereto theirlongitudinal and transverse movements, with two slides C15 and D15 one upon each side of the machine and having filling layer carriers mounted thereon, guide-ways for said slides, and means to reciprocate the same, all for the purpose set forth.

In testimony Whereoil I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 12th day of February, A. D. 1891.

GEORGE FREDERICK SUMNER. Witnesses:

FRANK G. PARKER, EDWARD S. DAY. 

